Performance monitoring overlays from tools like MSI Afterburner and NVIDIA app are extremely handy for checking how well your hardware performs while gaming or stress-testing your PC. From FPS count to CPU clock speeds and GPU temperature, you can view all the information you need while actively playing your favorite games. But after using these tools regularly for well over a decade, I've realized that my peace of mind is more important as a PC gamer — after all, ignorance is bliss.

It's no secret by now that Switch 2 has a feature that is not too unlike that of a computer mouse. You can use one of the Joy-Con 2s and drag it around a surface to emulate the same kind of controls that someone with a keyboard and mouse would have (well, maybe except the keyboard).

I’ve been in the graphic design and digital creation game for a while. Over a decade, in fact. Even throughout my degree, when we were all poor students who barely had two pennies to rub together, Photoshop was the encouraged program of use. Even with a student discount, it’s pricey. But with browser-based tools like Photopea, there’s little requirement to fork out hundreds of dollars a year on Photoshop anymore. Photopea is one of the best alternatives to Photoshop, besides price alone. Here’s why I made the switch.

It’s funny how you can use a tool extensively, even daily, and still only scratch the surface of its capabilities. For me, that tool has been Obsidian. I have been a dedicated user for years, managing everything from project notes, knowledge, to personal reflections. But as with any powerful ecosystem, there are always deeper layers to uncover. Looking back, I can’t help but feel regret for not exploring certain features and plugins sooner.

Valve CEO Gabe Newell pretends to get a hole drilled into his head for a brain-computer interface.Valve co-founder and CEO Gabe Newell, the company behind Half-Life and DOTA 2 and Counter-Strike and preeminent PC game distribution platform Steam, has long toyed with the idea that your brain should be more connected to your PC. It began over a decade ago with in-house psychologists studying people’s biological responses to video games; Valve once considered earlobe monitors for its first VR headset. The company publicly explored the idea of brain-computer interfaces for gaming at GDC in 2019.But Newell decided to spin off the idea. That same year, he quietly incorporated a new brain-computer interface startup, Starfish Neuroscience — which has now revealed plans to produce its very first brain chip later this year.Starfish’s first blog post, spotted by Valve watcher Brad Lynch, makes it clear we’re not talking about a complete implant yet. This bit is the custom “electrophysiology” chip designed to record brain activity (like how Neuralink can “read your mind” so patients can interact with computers) and stimulate the brain (for disease therapy), but Starfish isn’t claiming it’s already built the systems to power it or the bits to stick it into a person’s head.“We anticipate our first chips arriving in late 2025 and we are interested in finding collaborators for whom such a chip would open new and exciting avenues,” writes Starfish neuroengineer Nate Cermak (bolding theirs), suggesting that Starfish might wind up partnering with other companies for wireless power or even the final brain implant. But the goal, writes Starfish, is a smaller and less invasive implant than the competition, one that can “enable simultaneous access to multiple brain regions” instead of just one site, and one that doesn’t require a battery. Using just 1.1 milliwatts during “normal recording,” Starfish says it can work with wireless power transmission instead.Here’s the chip’s current spec sheet:Low power: 1.1 mW total power consumption during normal recording Physically small: 2 x 4mm (0.3mm pitch BGA) Capable of both recording (spikes and LFP) & stimulation (biphasic pulses) 32 electrode sites, 16 simultaneous recording channels at 18.75kHz 1 current source for stimulating on arbitrary pairs of electrodes Onboard impedance monitoring and stim voltage transient measurement Digital onboard data processing and spike detection allows the device to operate via low-bandwidth wireless interfaces. Fabricated in TSMC 55nm processNeuralink’s N1, for comparison, has 1,024 electrodes across its 64 brain-implanted threads, a chip that consumed around 6 milliwatts as of 2019, a battery that periodically needs wireless charging, and the full implant (again, not just the chip) is around 23mm wide and 8mm thick. The Elon Musk-led company has reportedly already implanted it in three humans; while some of the threads did detach from the first patient’s brain, he still has functionality and has been giving interviews. Starfish says it could be important to connect to multiple parts of the brain simultaneously, instead of just one region, to address issues like Parkinson’s disease. “there is increasing evidence that a number of neurological disorders involve circuit-level dysfunction, in which the interactions between brain regions may be misregulated,” Cermak writes.In addition to multiple simultaneous brain implants, the company’s updated website says it’s working on a “precision hyperthermia device” to destroy tumors with targeted heat, and a brain-reading, robotically guided transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) system for addressing neurological conditions like bipolar disorder and depression.In case you’re wondering how any of this might make its way back to gaming, I’ll leave you with Valve’s talk from GDC 2019 about brain-computer interfaces.

Frigate is a powerful tool for creating your own home surveillance system with a few IP cameras and an available network-attached storage (NAS) enclosure, single-board computer (SBC), or home lab server. I've been running the software for a few weeks now and have come to appreciate all the features it offers over the competition. Like anything you self-host, however, there are always things you learn along the way, and here are some points I wish I knew before getting into the world of Frigate.

There has been a lot of discourse around the use of AI in rendering video games. Right now, there are two AI models doing some serious work: Frame Generation and DLSS 4. Frame Generation aims to boost framerates by using AI to fill in the gaps with what people call "fake frames." Meanwhile, DLSS 4 allows PCs to render the game at a lower quality, then uses AI to scale the image up a few resolutions so it can look good without taking a toll on your hardware.

Graduation is one of those unique milestones in life that’s both exciting and nerve-wracking. It’s worth celebrating, but it also marks a new chapter that can feel overwhelming. That’s why your grad will surely appreciate a little support as they step into the next phase of their life, whether that be college or their first job.Lucky for you, we’ve put together a list of gifts that are designed to make the transition into post-grad life a little smoother. Our picks cover essentials they might need for their first apartment or dorm — from kitchenware to tools — along with a few gifts to remind them of home. We’ve also sprinkled in a ton of gadgets to set them up for success, including e-readers and portable chargers. And because they’ve certainly earned some downtime, we’ve included a selection of other ideas to help them unwind and celebrate a job well done.Update, May 23rd: Adjusted pricing / availability and added several new gift suggestions, including Apple’s latest MacBook Pro 13 and Lovepop’s colorful Black-Eyed Susan Bouquet.

Star Wars is a franchise that is very malleable for developing video games. There have been all sorts of games to come out across many different platforms, covering the majority of genres to explore. But one genre that has done very well with the Star Wars franchise is 2D action platformers. Many of the classic Star Wars games from the 8-bit and 16-bit eras were highly praised for the amount of fun they provided for Star Wars fans. But in the years following their release, Star Wars games have explored other types of game designs and genres that are far removed from action platformers. This is something many fans wish would make a return in some form, allowing us to jump and shoot our way through a galaxy far, far away once again.

A couple of months back, I developed an inclination towards 3D designing, so I decided to pick up a 3D printer to bring my creativity to life. It was one of the best decisions I made sense 3D printing is an excellent hobby, especially if you like fixing things around the house. In fact, I've also printed a ton of functional accessories and tools apart from fixing broken stuff, which has helped me save quite a bit of money. Since I was new to 3D printing, I decided to purchase the Creality Ender-3 S1 Pro -- a relatively low-end, entry-level printer. While it caters to my requirements, one downside was that the Marlin firmware prints rather slowly, and I could operate the printer only using the connected display.

After the success of the Steam Deck, Valve hasn't been slacking. For a long time, the company expressed interest that it wanted to bring the Steam Deck's operating system, SteamOS, to other handheld devices too. And we're not talking just giving people the option to use SteamOS: we're talking full, official support from Valve itself.

Hot or warm water, whatever works.Hot water is like internet connectivity for most Verge readers: you just expect it to be there. But that's unlikely to be the case this summer when tent camping at a music festival or road-tripping into the great unknown. That's where BougeRV's battery-powered shower comes in. The $310 "Portable Propane Outdoor Camping Water Heater" from BougeRV is not only optimized for search engine discovery, it also delivers a luxurious spray of hot steaming water to the unwashed, be they human, canine, or stubborn pots and pans. Charge up the battery, attach a propane canister, drop the pump into a jug of water, and you're ready to get sudsing.It's so useful and flexible that I've ditched my plans to install a permanent shower cabin and expensive hot water system inside my adventure van, even if I don't completely trust it.My current portable shower consists of an 11-liter water bag, a manual foot pump, and a spray nozzle. To make it hot, I have to heat water on the stove or hang the bag in the sun for several hours, yet it still costs over $150. For $310, the BougeRV heated shower seems like a bargain.The BougeRV system can produce a maximum heat output of 20,500 BTUs - about half o …Read the full story at The Verge.